TRIO:
			  WHISPERS OF THE PAST:
				Part 5:
			      THE TRUTH

	"Kaka-wha???" Blade Bot asked as he looked at Broli.

	"KAKAROTO!!!!" Broli screamed again.

	Without any warning, Broli leaped forward and smashed Blade Bot, 
Seer and Kunzuite out of his way.  He sensed the incredible power 
coming from the being behind them all and his simple mind came to an 
even simpler conclusion.

	Very strong being = Kakaroto.

	Blade Bot and Seer crashed into the rooms left side wall and Blade 
Bot groaned, "I think we were better off with the dino."

	"KAKAROTO!"

	Eclipse Lord simply raised his hand when Broli was mere inches away 
and the Super Saya-jin stopped cold as he slammed into an invisible 
wall.  Broli growled low in his throat and started to pound on the 
shield.  Eclipse Lord then aimed his hand at Broli and sent a blast 
of dark purple lightning that lifted Broli off the ground and started 
to crush him in a death grip.  "Listen to me you beast," the master 
of the Eclipse Syndicate said, "I did not bring you here for you to 
make a nuisance of yourself.

	"I have brought you here to help you destroy your enemy.  The one 
you call Kakaroto."

	Broli looked at Eclipse Lord at the name of his eternal foe and in a 
much softer tone, he asked, "Kakaroto?"

	Broli did something he had almost never done in his whole life.  He 
relaxed.  His battle aura turned off and his hair turned into it 
shoulder length black locks.  Eclipse Lord, satisfied that Broli 
would cause no more trouble for the moment, lowered him to the ground 
and let him go.  Broli looked in confusion as Lujane slowly 
approached, a silver band in her hands.  Broli growled a warning and 
the woman took a step back.  Eclipse Lord said, "It is okay my friend.
  She will not harm you."

	Broli, for some reason, found the words hypnotic and this time, let 
Lujane put the silver band around his neck.  Suddenly, Broli felt 
very sleepy.  His yawn shook the room and then he slumped to the 
floor.  After several seconds, where no one dared to breath, Warp 
finally asked, "Is he out?"

	Lujane turned to regard Warp as she checked the small display on the 
device around Brolis neck and said, "Yes.  The Neural Stunner is in 
place.  He will be out of it until such time as we need him.  Of 
course, if the master had not hypnotized him, I would never have 
gotten it on."

	Kunzuite rose, considered what had transpired in the short time he 
had arrived and thought, "What in the name of the Dark Kingdom have I 
become a part of?"

	The next day...

	Ami felt horrible.  She hadn't stopped feeling that way since her 
meeting (confrontation sounded better) with Usagi.  She just kept 
running the situation over and over again in her head.  A friend she 
had thought had died right in front of her eyes and what did she do 
when she saw her again?  She treated her like garbage.

	Well, she was going to fix that.  She saw the shop and walked in.  
As she pushed open the door, the tinkering bells got the attention of 
Troy.  He looked up and started to say something but stopped as he 
saw the determined glint in the small girls eye.  He called towards 
the back, "Oh SETSUNA.  It's for you."

	Setsuna, curious as to why Trunks would so blatantly blow their 
cover, looked out and caught sight of Ami.  "Well," she remarked, 
"that explains that."

	Ami spoke softly, yet the words contained a barely hidden anger as 
she punctuated each word and looked directly at Setsuna, "We... need..
. to... TALK."

	There was a long pause that lasted until Setsuna looked at Trunks 
and the Saya-jin halfling sighed as he walked out of the store 
muttering, "Oh well, maybe I can finally go see 'Spawn'."

	As soon as he was gone, Setsuna gestured towards the back and said, 
"I was preparing some tea when you arrived.  Would you like a cup?"

	Ami nodded as she followed her into the back and sat on a couch.  
Ami took a sip of the cup Setsuna handed her and she said as the hot 
liquid settled in her stomach, "I need you to tell me where Usagi is 
staying."

	Setsuna sighed as she said, "I warned you.  You should not have any 
contact, beyond Senshi duties, with the Princess."

	Ami replied, "I don't care about that anymore.  I have to find her 
and at least apologize."

	"apologize?"

	Ami ran over the events of her encounter with Usagi the day before.  
Setsuna sighed again as she said, "I understand how you feel..."

	"Do you," Something is Setsuna's voice made Ami snap, "Are you 
telling me that you ACTUALLY have feelings?!"

	Setsuna raised an eyebrow in surprise and Ami looked down as she 
said, "I'm sorry.  I guess I'm just in a bad mood."

	Setsuna nodded and said, "As I was saying, I understand how you feel.
.. and I will trust that you will not tell too much."

	Ami looked up, a little surprised and she replied, "Thank you."

	In the park...

	Gohan watched as Ranma and Usagi were talking to each other a short 
distance in front of him.  He did so at their request.  Apparently, 
the two of them had something personal to talk about.  He stopped 
walking as he felt a presence behind him and he spun, grabbing the 
man behind him by the front of his shirt.  The man who was his new 
contact said, "I guess that's what I get for sneaking up on the Great 
Sayaman."

	"What do you want?" Gohan asked as he let the man go.

	"Simple," the man replied, "I just wanted to tell you that you did a 
good job with keeping some of the more... intimate details of your 
relationship with us a secret.  I was afraid that me and my 
associates would have to... do what we do best.

	"I mean, we give you money to feed yourself with.  We give you a 
nice place to stay in Forest Hills, instead of a rat infested 
apartment in the middle of the city.  We even pay the bills for you.  
All we ask in return is for you to help us take out a criminal 
element and try to keep your association with us as secretive as 
possible."

	Gohan glared at the man and replied, "We both know there's more to 
it then that."

	"True," the man replied.  He looked up at the conversing couple and 
said, "Cute looking pair aren't they," he grinned, "it would be a 
pity if one day, you're out on your own, you come back home... and 
your friends have dissapeared off the face of the earth."

	"Shut up..."

	"I can imagine that the research department would be very interested 
in how magic effects a persons body and how that curse works..."

	"I SAID SHUT UP!!!"

	Usagi and Ranma turned as they heard their friend roar and the man 
looked at them and said in a plesent voice, "Excuse me sir... miss."

	With that, he left.  Ranma looked at Gohans rage filled face and he 
asked, "Who was that?"

	Gohan said in an annoyed voice, "Nobody important."

	"Oh riiiight," Ranma said in understanding, "we never saw that guy 
did we Usagi?"

	Faking shock, Usagi replied, "What guy?"

	Gohan grinned, his foul mood lightening as he said, "Now you're 
catching on."

	He sighed and said, "Hey guys.  Mind if I head on home?  Sorry to 
bug out on you like this, but I just need some time to think."

	Usagi asked in concern, "Are you okay?  Did something happen?"

	Gohan smiled at her as he said, "Thanks for your concern.  I'll be 
okay.  See you later."

	"Bye," Usagi called to his retreating form.

	"Later," Ranma called out.

	"I hope everything's all right," Usagi said when she and Ranma were 
alone, "He seems distracted."

	"Yeah," Ranma replied, "maybe we should find out what it is."

	Usagi grinned as she heard the relieved tone underneath his words 
and turned to him as she said, "Oooooh no.  You're not getting out of 
this THAT easily."

	"Aw man," Ranma groaned as he shuffled his feet uncomfortably, "Do 
we gotta talk about this?"

	"Yes.  Tell me, how long has it been since we told each other how we 
feel?"

	"Well, ummm, err, ahhh, (cough)."

	"I'll tell you.  Two WEEKS.  What have we done since then?  Almost 
nothing.  I mean, why don't we go on a date or something?"

	A crack on the ground suddenly seemed very interesting to Ranma as 
he replied, "Well, that is, I... awww man."

	Usagi smiled as she said, "I'll take that as a yes."

	Ranma blushed.  He sighed as he asked, "Got any ideas?"

	Usagis grin became larger as she replied, "Yep.  However, I need to 
get a few things first."

	That was when Ranma noticed that Usagi was a lot closer and before 
he knew what was happening, her lips were on his.  His eyes went wide 
and he just stood there as all of his nerve endings, except for the 
ones on his mouth, temporarily shut down.  Usagi broke the kiss and 
giggled at the stunned look Ranmas face had.  She fiddled with his 
pig tail a little before she ran off and shouted, "See you later."

	As soon as she was gone, Ranma blinked a few times, placed his
hand to his lips and he thought as he watched the sun set, "DAMN!"

	Later...

	Gohan sighed as he sat on the couch.  He was still angry over his 
encounter earlier in the day.  He hadn't told his friends because he 
didn't want to worry them and plus there wouldn't be anything to 
worry about if he played it safe.  All these secrets he was keeping 
from his friends however, was making him feel terrible.  He wished he 
didn't have to but he didn't exactly have a lot of choice in the 
matter.

	The thought of one of his friends being taken was something he 
didn't want to even think about.  He knew that they could take care 
of themselves but if they went after Ranma with some of the more 
advanced weapons they had or if they caught Usagi without giving her 
a chance to transform...

	A knock at the door brought him out of his train of thought and he 
went to answer.  He opened the door and his breath was taken away by 
the sight before him.  The girl who stood at the door was small, 
almost mousey, yet her blue eyes and the short bobbed hair of the 
same color gave her a very mature look.  The girl looked up at him 
and said, "Hello.  My name is Ami Mizuno.  I was told an Usagi 
Tsukino lives here.  Is she in?"

	Gohan just stared back, his mouth hanging open slightly.  Ami's face 
scrunched up slightly in confusion and asked, "Do I have the right 
house?"

	Gohan muttered under his breath, "Pretty."

	Ami blushed slightly and Gohan shook his head as he amended, "I mean,
 she should be back PRETTY soon.  Come in, please."

	Ami smiled as Gohan moved out of her way and she entered.  Ami 
looked around and commented, "Nice place.  How did you get it?"

	Gohan replied, "It was given to us."

	Ami was unable to hide her surprise, "WHAT???"

	Gohan shrugged as he replied, "Well, it was open and it was cheep... 
I guess."

	At that point, Ranma opened the door and walked in.  He looked at 
Gohan, then Ami and grinned as he said, "Why Gohan, if I had known 
you were entertaining, I would have knocked first."

	Ami and Gohan blushed as Gohan walked over to Ranma and took a 
playful swing at him.  "Stupid," he joked, "This is Ami Mizuno, she's 
a friend of Usagi's."

	Ranma squinted at Ami as he said, "Sailor Mercury, right?"

	Ami started, "How..."

	"Well, you match the description Usagi gave and I don't think there 
are that many people with blue hair in New York."

	Ami had to give him that.  "Although," Ranma continued, "from what 
Usagi told us, she might not want to talk to you.  She was pretty 
upset when we got her to talk about it.

	"I think, the exact words something about, 'not knowing who her 
friends were'."

	Ami winced and Gohan glared daggers at Ranma.  "Sorry," the pig 
tailed boy added.

	"It's okay," Ami replied, "I know I treated her badly, that's why 
I've come here."

	"How'd you find this place anyway?"

	"Sailor Pluto."

	Gohan raised an eyebrow as he asked, "How does SHE know we're here?
"

	Ami replied, "She's closer then you think."

	The sound of a key in the lock made the three of them turn and 
before she quite knew what was happening, Gohan was standing in front 
of her, facing the door and blocking her from whoever was coming in.  
Ranma stood next to him, also blocking Ami from sight.  "Wha..." the 
blue haired girl started to ask but was stopped as Gohan said, "Don't 
worry.  We just have to prepare Usagi."

	Usagi walked into the house, shopping bags in each hand and she 
cried, " Hey guys!  I'm home!"

	"Welcome back," Gohan said, starting to sweat.

	"Yeah," Ranma added, also sweating, "Usagi... we need to talk."

	Usagi looked at her two male companions and her eyes squinted in 
confusion as she asked, "What's wrong?"

	"Nothing," Gohan said, "at least I hope not."

	"What do you mean?"

	The two young men looked at each other and similtaniously stepped 
out of the way, letting Usagi get a good look at Ami.  Ami licked her 
lips as she said, "Hello."

	"What is SHE doing here?!" Usagi snapped, her anger over their last 
encounter suddenly flaring to life again.

	Usagi was about to storm off but Ami stopped her as she said, "I'm 
sorry."

	Usagi froze in her tracks and looked back at Ami.  The blue haired 
girls eyes were filled to the brim with tears as she continued, "I... 
I want to apologize for my rude actions and maybe help explain things 
for you."

	Usagi's big heart started to soften but she stopped herself.  "If 
she's really my friend," she decided internally, "then she'll 
understand if I'm a bit skeptical."

	Aloud, she said, "Go ahead.  Whatever, you want to say, you can say 
it in front of my friends."

	Gohan suddenly cut in with, "How about we move this to the kitchen?  
I'll get some soda."

	A little later...

	The four of them sat around the table, sipping their drinks as Ami 
gathered her thoughts.  It didn't escape Ranma's notice that Gohan 
had chosen to sit in the seat right next to her.  Ami finally said, 
"Usagi, you are part of a group known as the Sailor Senshi..."

	"That's pretty much common knowledge," Ranma interrupted.

	Ami ignored the comment and continued, "... and the leader."

	That got a reaction, for the Trio looked at her surprised and then 
Ranma started to chuckle.  He placed his hands over his mouth and 
Usagi glared at him as she snapped, "What's so funny?!"

	"It's just..." Ranma tried to respond through the laughs, "...I mean.
.. YOU... a LEADER???"

	"WHAAAAAAAAA," Usagi wailed as the tears jetted out of her eyes, 
"what did I do???  Why are you being so mean to me???"

	Ranma caught himself and he tried to calm her down, "Whao, whoa!  
Hey, easy, it was just a joke!  Relax would ya!"

	Ami grinned, glad that Usagi hadn't changed completely.  When the 
blonde had calmed down, Ami continued, "However, due to a fight which 
involved us and two members of the Eclipse Syndicate, you and 
apparently you two as well," Ami nodded at Gohan and Ranma, "ended up 
here in your... condition.

	"We thought you were dead and that's why we didn't search for you.  
If we had known, we would have come for you right away but now... 
there's a complication."

	"Let me guess," Gohan said, "it involves the Eclipse Syndicate."

	"Correct.  I won't claim that I understand all the details but 
according to Sailor Pluto, it's best if you remain the way you are 
while battling this new evil."

	Usagi was about to protest but Ami cut her off as she said, "I know 
that doesn't help but she is usually right with these things... and 
the fact that if I did tell you, a lot of innocent people would be 
hurt or killed went a ways towards influencing me."

	There was a long pause and finally Usagi asked in a soft voice, "Why 
didn't you tell me this before?"

	Ami sadly replied, "I don't know.  I guess I was still in shock 
about learning you were alive.  I didn't mean to hurt you.  You're my 
best friend."

	Ranma stood up and walked out of the room, quickly followed by Gohan,
 the two of them, giving the girls the time alone they needed.  Usagi 
looked directly into Amis eyes, trying to see if she was being lied 
to.  Never let it be said that Usagi was a great judge of character, 
but even she could see the obvious pain and anguish in Amis eyes.  
finally, in a low whisper, she said two words, "Thank you."

	Then she said two more, "I forgive you."

	Ami smiled and then, with a strangled cry threw herself into her 
friends arms.  As the blue haired girl cried, Usagi suffered a 
fleeting flash of remembrance.  Short, fleeting flashes of times 
spent with the girl in her arms passed in her mind and when she 
looked down, she said, "Ami... my friend... thank you for the truth.
"

	Meanwhile, somewhere in the heights of Eclipse Tower...

	To the uninitiated it would have seemed as if Eclipse Lord was 
simply watching the comatose Broli slumber in the harness that had 
been fastened for the Saya-jin.  In fact however, Eclipse Lord was 
using a small portion of his power to reach into Brolis mind and warp 
the thoughts (or what passed for them) inside.

	"So," the master of the Eclipse Syndicate thought, "your rage and 
power stem from your need to destroy the one you call Kakaroto.  
Using my power, I shall redirect and increase this emotion many times 
over."

	Kunzuite entered the room with Samaron and the samurai said, "I have 
brought him, as you commanded master."

	"Leave us," Eclipse Lord muttered.

	Samaron bowed and left the room.  Kunzuite looked over at Broli and 
asked, "What is it for which you summoned me?"

	"When I have finished with Broli, he will need someone to direct him 
in battle.  I have chosen you for this honor."

	Kunzuite bowed and replied, "I thank you for this privalge... master.
"

	Eclipse Lord nodded and turned his attention fully to Broli, his 
glowing purple eyes thinned to slits as he forced more and more of 
his power into Brolis mind.  Suddenly, the golden aura around Broli 
sprang to life once more.  His hair once more became a pillar of gold 
and, pupil-less eyes snapping open, with a roar of a rage even more 
mindless then his old one, Broli broke free of his bonds.  The Saya-
jin warrior raised his head to the sky and howled in furry.  Then, he 
caught sight of Eclipse Lord.

	And kneeled before him.

	Eclipse Lord laughed, he could use a warrior like this.  He would 
come in handy if he needed an opponent, political, business or other 
wise, eliminated.  First however, would come the Trio.

TO BE CONTINUED....